Going on this journey to Korea, on the Plus3 program was more than an academic experience. It was a journey that transformed me personally and professionally. As a rising sophomore in chemical engineering, I was excited to explore how engineering principles are applied in the global context, especially in a country known for its rich culture and technological advancements. Over the two weeks, I immersed myself in the environments around me where I would gain insight that would shape my ethical perspective, appreciation for interdisciplinary education, commitment to lifelong learning, understanding of professional social environments, and ability to function within multi-disciplinary teams. From my arrival in Seoul, I was struck by the smart systems that Seoul had to offer, intertwined with its rich history. This program pushed my way of thinking and caused me to reflect on my role as a future engineer in a globalized world. I gained insight into multiple different professional development topics over the entirety of this journey.

The first topic is ethical issues within engineering. Our visit to the Oil Tank Culture Park, while was not as interesting as it was planned to be, still had ethical considerations behind it. Back in the 70s, these tanks were created to prepare for a future oil crisis. However, in 2000 the tanks were closed due to safety and environmental concerns. This transformation highlighted the environmental impacts of industrial projects and the potential to repurpose infrastructure. As we walked around the repurposed tanks, I was thinking about what engineers are often focused on, efficiency, performance, and cost, but what happens when a system becomes obsolete, like the oil tanks? The oil tanks highlighted the ethical issues within engineering, as they posed environmental and safety issues. Due to the 2002 World Cup, the tanks were closed due to the proximity to the stadium. Similarly, our tour of the Ttukdo Arisu Water Purification Center showed the importance of providing safe and clean water to the public. The process involved in water purification shows why it’s important to maintain high standards of public health and safety. During this tour, I was considering ethical issues that I may face as a future chemical engineer. As a chemical engineer, I may work with a material that has unknown long-term effects. So ethical implications that I may have to consider is how to balance, public safety and environmental safety without causing unintentional harm. These are questions that I will be having to answer in my future career. 

Another professional development topic that I learned/gained from this trip is education breadth. Over the last two weeks, I was exposed to numerous cultural and historical sites such as Blue House, the DMZ, Seoul City Hall, the Royal Palace, and numerous Buddhist temples has allowed me to immerse myself within Korean culture and history and how they live their daily lives. Through our tour guide Jinny, as well as general observations throughout the day I learned about Korean beliefs, body language, and other common things. For example, one common thing among Koreans is their respect for each other. Koreans often bow when thanking each other for example. While, in America, we say thank you, this type of respect that is shown among Koreans’, I believe is not shown. Another thing I noticed is how polite they are. On public transport like the subway or the bus, they have seats meant for pregnant women, elders, or people with a disability. While we have seats on buses in the front for those with a handicap, I feel like most people disregard it and would not move to America. However, in Korea, most of the time people would not sit in those seats even though no one who was older was on that bus for example. The most important thing I learned and witnessed during this program was the hard-working nature of the Korean people. Jinny was a great example. Jinny told us about how she came from nothing and how her dad would work over 15 hours a day, just in order to be able to send her to college. Jinny continued this lifestyle of hard work throughout her own life. In college, Jinny said she focused on her education, she did not go out and party, like most college students, instead she worked hard because that is what she knew how to do. She continues to do this and I believe she went above and beyond as our tour guide often doing more than she had to. From this program, I can apply what I have witnessed to my daily and professional life. By exhibiting the polite and friendly manner of Koreans’ I can contribute to the society around me by doing this. In regard to my professional development, I can work hard, in order to reach future success as an Engineer.

Another aspect of professional development that was emphasized throughout the Plus3 Korea program was the importance of lifelong learning and continuing education. In today’s fast-paced, constantly evolving world, remaining stagnant in your knowledge base is not an option—especially in fields like engineering, science, and technology. Across all our company visits one message remained consistent: staying relevant means staying curious. This theme was especially clear during our visit to Yonsei University, where we had the opportunity to meet with a University of Pittsburgh alum currently conducting cutting-edge neuroscience research. Her team is focused on developing a better understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, with the long-term goal of lessening its effects or identifying new treatment pathways. It was both inspiring and humbling to witness the depth of her work firsthand. What made this experience so impactful was being able to step into her lab and observe how data was being collected, analyzed, and applied—it wasn’t just theoretical, it was active science with real-world implications.

Seeing someone who once stood where I am now—just beginning their college journey—and who has now become a key contributor in such an important research field made me realize that education does not stop at graduation. The learning that happens after college may be even more significant. Whether it’s through graduate school, industry certifications, research opportunities, or simply staying updated on the latest developments in your field, continuing education is essential for both personal fulfillment and professional success. This experience also broadened my understanding of what it means to be an engineer. While I’ve always associated engineering with designing solutions and solving problems, I now see that part of our role is to advance knowledge itself. The alum’s work at Yonsei wasn’t just about applying established methods—it was about pushing boundaries, asking new questions, and developing methods no one had thought of yet. Her story exemplified the kind of lifelong learner and innovator I hope to become in my career, whether that leads me into research, industry, or perhaps even graduate study in both engineering and business.

Another aspect of professional development is the social environment within one’s professional life. At each of the companies we visited, they all had designated social spaces for employees. For example, at TK Elevator, they had a social area where employees could relax and enjoy themselves. It featured an indoor golf simulator, a pool table, and ping pong tables. Company representatives shared that these areas encouraged employees to socialize, helping to build stronger connections and improve teamwork within the company. A similar emphasis on the community could be seen at Samsung. Samsung’s headquarters is located within what can only be described as a mini-city. This “Samsung City” includes shuttles, hospitals, apartments, and cafeterias that provide employees with free meals throughout the day. While the amenities at Samsung were more extensive than those at TK Elevator, this is reflective of the company’s larger size and higher revenue, which allows for more robust employee support systems. However, what stood out to me in both cases was the universal importance of human interaction in the workplace. Whether you’re working in a small team or part of a massive corporation, your ability to collaborate, communicate, and build relationships is vital. No matter how technically skilled you are, professional success often comes down to how well you can work with others, resolve conflicts, and contribute to a healthy, productive environment. This is something I’ll carry with me as I continue to grow in my field.

The final professional development topic that I gained during this program is being able to function on a multi-disciplinary team. For this program, I was placed in a group of 6, including myself. Three were engineers and three were business. The culminating project at the end of the trip was to propose a business plan, of a smart system technology, that solves a problem that we encountered during our time in Korea. During our meetings, we utilized everyone’s strengths equally as we all come from different backgrounds. While this was just a small-scale work of working in a multi-disciplinary team, all the company visits showed that working in a team with people from different backgrounds is crucial. While an engineer may be responsible for designing a new technology for Samsung, there are many other people involved in the process from the idea to designing, then to selling. Engineers may design the product, then the factory workers produce the product, then those on the business side will market the product and are responsible for getting the product out on the market. 

The Plus3 Korea trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will remember forever. I gained valuable insight on it while making friendships that will continue throughout college. From the cultural experience to developing professionally, this trip will impact me for the rest of my life.